Never an Easy Day
by AceForeverAndAlways
Summary: Sam has been elected President, but what happens when the events of Rosslyn happen again. SLASH Sam/Josh


Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable plot or characters.

" _America has selected, Samuel Seaborn, as the next President of the United States." Sam couldn't believe it. They won. Dazed, Sam looked to his campaign manager, soon to be Chief of Staff, and his husband. Josh was grinning like a maniac. Sam knew that Josh believed they could win, hell, Josh was the one to convince his husband to run. Josh approached him, "Congratulations Mr. President," he was still grinning. With those words, the news finally sunk in, he was going to be president. A full blown grin slowly took over and he grabbed Josh by the lapels of his jacket and kissed him briefly, but passionately all the same. They had decided to base their relationship partially on what Leo and President Bartlet had, although they had the added complication of being married to each other. They knew they'd work it out no matter what though._

" _Toby asked me to give this to you," Josh said, handing him a stack of papers._

" _It's my inaugural speech. When…" Sam looked at the date, it was dated right before Sam left the Bartlet administration for a few years. "Toby gave it to me when it was announced that you'd be running. Now get out there you have a public to address." Taking a deep breath, Sam stepped up to the podium._

Sam now wonders what life would have been like if he lost or never ran. Would he still be sitting here waiting for news on his husband's condition? The first year of his time in office passed with much less drama than that of the Bartlet administration, but just like during the years with Bartlet, Sam was waiting for news of whether or not Josh would succumb to another gunshot wound. They had just finished a town hall meeting, the same as the events in Rosslyn, except this time, he was the intended target.

 _Sam exited the building and was greeting people that were lined up the streets, Secret Service surrounding them on all sides. Josh was beside him, talking non-stop about what was next. Then he noticed Josh move faster than he has ever seen him move. He was on the ground with Josh on top of him, then he was being dragged into a limo by two Secret Service agents, and he was dragging Josh. Once inside, the limo sped away and towards the hospital. Sam had Josh's head in his lap and his hand pressing tightly into Josh's right side, keeping pressure on the wound. Despite this, blood was pouring out of Josh's body and through his fingers._

" _Hey," he whispered, "you're going to be alright. It's just a scratch. You'll be up and about, annoying me in no time," Sam kept up the meaningless words of assurance, as he stroked Josh's cheek. Josh was still awake, staring up a Sam with wide pain filled eyes. Josh wanted to say something but nothing came out._

When they had arrived at the hospital Sam was separated from his husband and led to the room he has been sitting in for the last two hours. Sam is leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees staring at his hands. When he first arrived in the waiting room, he noticed the blood that covered his hands and clothes. He rushed to the bathroom to get Josh's blood off his hands, but even now, Sam can still see flakes of blood and feel the blood rushing between his fingers. CJ, who had agreed to be a special counsellor for his administration, and Danny Concanon, step into the room. "How is he?" Danny asks. Sam looked up and wanted to answer, but nothing came out. He has no idea how to answer that. He has yet to be told anything about his husband's condition and the wait is starting to kill him. "Donna and Will are back at the White House handling what they can. You'll have to make a statement later tonight, Sir," CJ says, as much as she would like to comfort her friend and boss, she is barely holding it together herself.

"Mr. President, you have a visitor," a Secret Service agent said opening the door. Sam heard a familiar voice floating through, "I have a son to see to, now if you could step aside," Abbey Bartlet finally comes into the room with Jed following closely behind. "Ma'am, what are you doing here?" Sam said standing up. "Please, it's Mom or at least Abbey," she says wrapping her arms around him. Sam gratefully sank into the comforting gesture. "We were visiting Zoey when we heard and came straight here," Jed says.

"Thank you for coming," Sam mumbled into Abbey's shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw his aide enter the room, "Mr. President, you're needed at the White House," he informed Sam solemnly. "I…" Sam trails off immediately as he withdraws from the comforting arms. "You go take care of whatever needs to be taken care of. Jed and I will stay here. I will talk to a doctor and find out what is going on with my other son. I will call James and tell you when I know something."

"Yes, Mom," Sam whispered, giving her a small shy smile. "Let's go James," Sam says to his aide as he reluctantly leaves the waiting room. It is chaos outside the hospital and Sam is blinded by the flashes of photographers as he walks fifty feet to the car waiting for him. Normally, Sam would smile and wave to the people, but right now he can barely manage to make his feet take him to where he is needed.

"I'm going to go and find a doctor," Abbey tells Jed as she leaves the room. She questions a passing nurse, "Excuse me, is there a doctor I can talk to about Josh Lyman?" The nurse sighs and begins "Ma'am, only family…" However, Abbey interrupts, "I may not have given birth to that boy, but he has been a part of my family for almost twenty years. And I have informed the President of the United States that I would call him and tell him any news I can get on his husband," Abbey would not let this nurse deter her from getting any information she could. "One moment ma'am," the nurse finally complies.

A few minutes later, a doctor approaches Abbey, who doesn't see him right away, as the stress of the night finally gets to her and she rests against the wall with her hands cover her face. "Ma'am" the doctor whispers, not wishing to startle the already stressed out woman. Abbey jerks her head up in surprise, it takes her a moment, but she recognizes the man in front of her "Jeff!" The doctor too realizes who he is speaking with "Abbey? It's nice to see you, despite the circumstances. I'm guessing you're here for Mr. Lyman." The man asks. "Yes, is there any news?" she asks eagerly. "Abbey, you know I can only tell family," the doctor starts. "Jeff, you know as well as I do, that that won't stop you. That man you're operating on is as good as my son, and I have the job to report to the man that is also as good as my son if he is going to have to bury his husband or not. Now, what can you tell me?" Abbey demands.

"Well, the bullet punctured his right lung, but unlike the last time, the bullet did not sever his pulmonary artery. He'll be in surgery for six to eight hours total, but he'll be fine. He's already been in for a little over two hours, so he'll be out soon," The doctor informs her. Abbey gives a great sigh of relief, "Oh, thank God," Jeff smiles slightly, "It's time to give the President the good news. I'll come and inform you when Josh is out of surgery," Jeff gives her arm a squeeze before leaving her alone. Abbey pulls out her cell phone to make the call, "James? It's Dr. Bartlet, please have him call me when he is free, thanks." Putting her cell phone away, she makes her way back to the waiting room to inform the others.

After four hours in the Situation Room, the situation is dealt with for the time being and Sam makes his way to his office to see if there was any news on Josh, "Mr. President, Dr. Bartlet called and asked me to have you call her when you're free. Shall I make the call," James comes up beside Sam. "Please James," he says as he makes his way into the Oval Office. "She's on the phone for you now, Sir," James pokes his head through the door. "Thanks James," Sam says before picking up the phone, "How is he?" Sam asks wearily without any preamble. "He'll be fine. They are bringing him to the recovery room now. He'll be sedated for a while and they have him on a ventilator to help him breathe easier, but you can come see him when you're available," She informs Sam. Sam collapses heavily into his desk chair, "Thank you, Mom," Sam whispers, overwhelmed with relief and gratitude. "You're welcome, son," she says before hanging up. Sam sighs and leans back in his chair covering his eyes with his arm. He is experiencing a multitude of emotions. He wants to laugh and cry with relief at the same time. He takes a moment collecting himself before jumping out of his chair and rushing out of the office, indicating to James that he is heading back to the hospital.

When he arrives at the hospital, Sam is again greeted with blinding flashes of light from photographers. He quickly makes his way in, where he is greeted by a doctor, "Mr. President, I'm Dr. Foster, I operated on your husband. I wanted to talk to you more about what happened and what to expect in his recovery," she starts as she leads Sam further into the hospital towards Josh's room. "The bullet entered through his back, and punctured the right lung, which collapsed. This was a relatively simple procedure compared to the last time he was injured. Now, he is on a ventilator and we would like to wake him from the anesthetic before sedating him for a while longer to give his body uninterrupted time to heal. When he wakes up, we were hoping that you would be there to help keep him calm." They come to a stop in front of a door, "Do you have any questions, sir?" she asks. Sam only shakes his head. Dr. Foster opens the door and allows Sam to enter first.

Sam is shaken by the image Josh makes laying in the hospital bed. Josh always had a big personality and was always moving; now, Josh looks fragile with all the tubes coming out of his body and his pale ashen face does nothing to contradict his assessment. What strikes him the most is the stillness, even in his sleep Josh is moving, yet now, Josh is not moving an inch. Sam moves further into the room, perching himself on Josh's bed, by his hip and taking one of Josh's hands in his own.

Finally, after what seems like hours, Josh's begins to stir. "Hey love," Sam whispers "You need to wake up," Gently coaxing him, Josh, finally, is fully awake. Immediately, the heart monitor begins to beep rapidly, indicating Josh's unspoken panic. Sam moves further up the bed and into Josh's line of sight, and moves one hand to brush through his hair all while whispering assurances. Slowly, the heart monitor indicates Josh's slower pulse, and his eyelids begin to droop. "You tired love?" Sam asks gently. Josh nods slightly, causing Sam to glance at the doctor standing to the side of the room, making sure that it is alright for Josh to go to sleep. She gives a slight nod. "Alright, love, go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up," Sam murmurs. Josh gives in and falls asleep. Sam remains by his husband's side for a while longer, before getting up and leaving with the doctor.

Walking into the waiting room, the silence is stifling as everyone stands up eager for an update. He knows that had he not been the president, everyone would be shouting questions at him and demanding answers. This is one time that he is glad for his position. Then quietly from the far corner of the room, a familiar and deeply missed voice asks the question everyone has been dying to ask "How is he, Mr. President?" Sam glances to where the voice comes from and gives a small smile, "He's going to be fine." The relief in the room is palpable and causes Sam to let a small smile grace his face. "I just talked to him briefly before they sedated him again. He'll be on the ventilator for a while, but he'll be okay. Mom, Dad, you can go sit with him for a bit, if you'd like," Abbey and Jed smile and walk out of the waiting room.

Sam makes his way to the far corner of the room coming to a stop in front of the man who voiced everyone's question. "Toby," Sam smiles before embracing the man quickly, "Thank you for coming," Toby lets a small smile slip through his mask, "You're both still my friends," Toby replies simply. Even after the pardon, Toby has stayed away from politics. He refused the position of Communications Director, even when Sam and Josh pleaded with him to take it. He claimed that it would be bad for the administration to have someone like him working in the White House again.

"Mr. President," James prompts entering the waiting room. "I'll be right there James," Sam sighs, "I have to go back to the White House. I have to go make a statement, plus Josh would kill me if I tried to ignore my job," Sam gives a slight grin at the thought. Yet again, Sam has to leave the hospital and his husband to deal with things that seem inconsequential to what Josh is going through. None the less, Sam heads out to deal with the hundreds of things sitting on his desk, even though it is two in the morning. He knows that he would not be able to sleep with Josh being in the hospital, at least until he has a more than one-sided conversation with his husband.

When he arrives at the White House, he is greeted by Donna, Josh's Chief of Staff. With Josh being both his Chief of Staff and his husband, there is an odd intermingling of responsibilities. Donna is the one to make sure that those responsibilities are kept as separate as possible. She often works with Margret, who is now Josh's assistant and has been since the Santos administration. "How is he, Mr. President?" Donna asks in greeting. "They woke him up briefly and I spoke to him. He'll be fine. It'll take time like last time, but he'll be okay. We won't let what happen last time happen again," he says giving her a look. Understanding the look to be instructions to keep a close eye on Josh when he is awake for more than a few minutes, she nods in agreement. "I wanted to ask if you wanted to make a statement or if my office should." Sam heads towards C.J.'s office, "I'm heading to C.J.'s office to talk to her. She mentioned earlier that I should make a statement, come with me and we can figure it out," Sam says.

Arriving at C.J.'s office, Donna and Sam find a stressed out C.J. who is trying to figure out what to tell the press and Otto and Will, who are writing the briefing statement. "What's next?" Sam asks as he enters the office, with Donna right behind him. "Well, Spanky," C.J.'s nickname slips out accidently, but everyone ignores it, the woman is stressed out enough that she probably didn't notice, "We were thinking that Will should brief the press and then you can give a statement, thanking the public for their support, updating them about Josh's condition, and telling them what it next. It'll be on all the major networks and every major paper will be there" C.J. informs him. Sam nods, "What are you working on Otto?" Otto, the Deputy Communications Director, looks up from his laptop, "I'm writing up Will's briefing and since I know how much you prefer writing your own statements, notes for what you need to cover." Sam nods, "You'll have those to me an hour before the briefing?" Otto agrees, "When are you scheduling the briefing C.J.?" he asks turning back to the woman. "Six a.m. Sir," turning to Donna, "Is this alright with your office?" Donna is taking notes on her tablet, "This will be fine, and when Josh gets back we will coordinate with you and have him make a statement," Donna agrees before leaving and heading to the East Wing. Sam heads back down to the Situation Room to get an update.

Two hours later, Sam emerges from the Situation Room with the situation dealt with and resolved. He heads to the Oval Office where James has set a copy of the briefing statement and the points that he needs to cover in his statement. Sam spends the next hour writing and rewriting his statement, agonizing over the words he should use to describe the events. Sam is finally satisfied with his statement and hands it to James with instructions to get it approved by Will, Otto, and C.J. before heading up to the Residence to change and get ready.

"Now, the President of the United States would like to give a statement," Will says before stepping aside for Sam to take the podium, "Good morning everyone, as I'm sure everyone is aware of the events that happened a little over eight hours ago, I would like to extend my appreciation to everyone who has extended their support to my husband and I during the difficult time. I have been touched by the outpouring of support and well wishes that the public has given us and it is my greatest joy to tell everyone that Josh will be fine. After six hours in surgery, the doctors woke him up briefly where I was able to speak to him before he fell asleep again. He will remain in the hospital for a while and won't be allowed to work for several weeks, if I have anything to say about it, but soon enough he will be up and about. Again, thank you for your support," Sam says before stepping down. Sam heads back to the Oval Office to grab his brief case and then heads out to go back to the hospital for a while.

 _Three Weeks Later_

Sam has developed a schedule over the last three weeks. He went to the hospital every morning at six and spent an hour there either talking to his husband if he was awake or reading memos and reports that Bram, his Deputy Chief of Staff has deemed important enough for him to read. He would go back to the White House and conduct meetings or read more reports and work on legislation. Then he would go to the hospital for an hour for lunch before returning to the White House. Sam would once again return to hospital at nine in the evening for another hour or maybe two if he could convince Josh to let him stay longer before going back to the Residence.

Josh was improving rapidly; after a week in the hospital, he was sitting up and talking rapidly like usual and was no longer sleeping through the entire day. In fact, he is coming home today. It's 10:30 a.m. when James comes in and asks if he would see Donna, indicating he could, Donna comes into the Oval Office, her phone being held away from her ear. "It's your husband, Sir. He's talking about the education bill that is going to be voted on in 2 days," sighing Sam gestures for her to hand the phone over. Donna follows his instructions before leaving the Oval Office. Josh is in the middle of his sentence, when Sam interrupts him, "Joshua," Sam growls. On the other end of the line, Josh swallows nervously. He knows instantly that he is talking to his husband and not his boss. Ironically, Josh is more afraid of Sam as his husband than as the President. "Samuel," he replies. "If you don't want to spend the rest of your recovery sleeping in one of the guest rooms, you will not call Donna again today for anything work related nor will you call her or anyone else about work until you are cleared by your doctors, are we clear?" Sam continues to growl. He is not going to let his husband jump back into work too quickly like last time. "Crystal," Josh drawls. "Good. I'm sorry, but I can't make it over for lunch, but I'll be there tonight to spring you." Sam informs him regretfully. "I guess I'll have to manage that long without seeing you," Josh teases. "Love you," Sam tells him like he does before leaving the hospital. The two were not expressive with their words very often, preferring to show their love through affectionate gestures, but the shooting has inspired the need for Sam to tell his husband before every parting. "Love you too," Josh replies "Now get back to work. You have a country to run," is the last thing said before hanging up.

Later that night, Sam enters the hospital for what he hopes to be the last time. Before enter Josh's hospital room, he takes the bag of Josh's things that his assistant packed for him from James. Sam smiles at the sight of Josh sitting up on the side of his bed, clearly ready to go. "Finally!" Josh shouts, grinning manically. He was starting to go a little stir crazy. Sam walks over to him kissing him briefly before opening the duffle bag to take out clothes for Josh to change into. Clearly still having trouble moving, Sam helps his husband change. After signing all the papers needed, the couple can finally leave with Josh protesting the wheelchair that he is forced into and Sam pushing him towards the exit. However, upon exiting the building and being blinded by camera flashes, Josh taps Sam's hand to get his attention. Sam leans down to hear his husband over the shouts of the crowds and press, "Sam, you need to let the nurse help. There's a bunch of cameras," Sam merely smiles at Josh's irrational worry and kisses him behind his ear before saying, "It doesn't matter. Right now, I'm escorting my husband home. I think that if there should be any instance where I don't have to worry about being the President, it's now," Sam continues to push Josh towards the limo and helping him in.

 _Six weeks later_

Josh enters the Oval Office dressed in a new suit causing Sam to scowl at his husband. Josh holds up his hand complacently, "I have a message from your husband," he says as he moves around the desk. "You do, huh? Well, what does he have to tell me?" Sam says, eyes now focused on the report in front of him. Josh leans down, whispering, "I have the all clear…for everything," before moving back. Lust instantly ignites Sam's veins and he turns in his chair grabbing Josh by the tie and pulling him into a kiss. "How about we retire to the Residence early?" Sam asks when they break apart. "Mmmm, how about nine?" Josh agrees. Sam laughs, "Sounds good," and it does because unfortunately for them, nine is early. "Now, get back to work Mr. Lyman," Sam orders with a grin on his face. "Yes Sir," Josh grins, giving him a small salute before leaving through the side door to got to his own office.


End file.
